3 years ago I moved to New York to join a late stage startup. In my first 2 years I was super motivated, eager to learn, and recognized by leadership as a high-performer. The past year, however, I’ve had little energy to work and fear that I’m stagnating and burning out early in my career. Think it’s a combination of things: - Low compensation in VHCOL (125k in New York) - Poor WLB - while my expected output is reasonable, I need to work closely with an offshore Indian dev team and late night meetings have become the norm - Committed in a long-term relationship, but have been doing long-distance since relocating for this job My original plan was to put a couple years in and find a new job that allows me to move back to LA, but with my mental health being at an all-time low and the current state of the job market, I’ve struggled with devoting energy towards interviewing while working full time. As a result, I’ve been thinking about quitting and moving back to my parents house in LA. Pros - Mental health reset and focus on job hunt and developing my skills - Closer to my friends, family, and partner, generally happier personal life - No more paying New York rent Cons - Potential negative impact to my career as I’m just starting out(?) - Job market Is really poor, especially for my YOE and role (design) - No income Any thoughts/advice? I’m currently coasting, but I’m not sure if the mental toll and compensation + rent expense is worth the coast. 3 YOE TC - 125k salary, New York
The game is always going to be the game, and the chance of punching a high upside IPO or acquisition ticket getting lower every day. I’m torn. Part of me says get out while you can and do something noble with your life. Part of me says these are your best years to sacrifice to the meat grinder and make a little scratch from our VC overlords, so keep going. Either way, if you’re burnt out now just know it never stops.
Appreciate the reply ❤️ For more context, I don’t have high confidence that this startup will succeed. In the off chance it does, I don’t have enough equity for it to matter haha. I don’t think I’m burnt out with being a designer, rather it’s the work environment and my personal life situation that’s got me to this point.
You either take the pressure and become a champion or crumble and quit
You forgot take the pressure and the company crumbles anyway, like 99% of startups do. There's also the option of take the pressure and make somebody else rich, giving yourself only a modest payout.
If you can't live off of 125k in NYC, you have some shitty spending habits.
Switching jobs after 3 years is normal. Don't quit unless you have a new job lined up.
There’s degrees between. Take some PTO, talk to your manager, coast a bit, etc - if you’re considering quitting anyway, you have nothing to lose. FWIW - a lot would prob be fixed by getting rid of the late night meetings
3 yoe is not junior.
Normally I would say don’t quit without another job but in this case I say go for it. You probably will never have this much freedom again. But be prepared for like a year plus of job searching while living with your parents. East coast can be hard to take if your from the west coast. Generally having work motivation is the reason to go and if you don’t have that anymore i’d say fuck it. You’re in your mid 20s i assume. Won’t hurt you. Assuming you do have at least some savings so you can live a bit.
you are a baby. enjoy until it becomes all grind